Bryce G.

I just wish they would let you combine the balcony discount (which used to be the "free balcony upgrade" and far more valuable) with other promotions. They're getting more and more restrictive on the promotions. I'd rather them keep the "loopholes" and the discounts that you can combine but raise the overall price of the cruise--that way, I at least FEEL like I'm getting a deal!! ;-)

I'll be on Harmony in December. If you don't find someone before then, give me a holler. E-mail is my bgriffler[at]gmail[dot]com.

HAHAHA. My partner and I will randomly look at each other when we pass the art gallery, and GASP, saying things like, "HAVE YOU HEARD OF PETER MAX?! HE'S AMAZING!" "Did you hear the history of Peter Max?" "Peter Max basically FOUNDED our country!" Too funny.

In this particular instance, especially for collecting, I utilize eBay (for general RC stuff) and Cruise Critic Roll Call (if there's a specific ship item I'm looking for).

Royal ships typically do a good job at spreading out crowds as previous posters have mentioned. For a 9-night sailing, I would never buy a drink package. As a previous poster mentioned, it would equate to about 6 drinks per day--and with several days in-port (where I wouldn't consume 6 drinks onboard), I'm immediately losing money right there! Consider pre-loading some funds onto your account PRIOR to your cruise (estimate how much you might drink), so that you're not overpaying for the package, but you still soften the blow of the alcohol bill at the end!

Haha, that song. ABSOLUTELY gets stuck in my head. "Wash your hands like 50 times-a-day..." I sanitize my hands EVERYWHERE that I see the dispensers--every single opportunity I get. The people who "dodge" the hand sanitizing people remind me of the anti-vaxxers: "I don't want to vaccinate my child--don't tell me what to do." That's NORMALLY fine, but when your decisions affect the health of those around you, that's when they start to "impose" rules. In this case, the crew can't distinguish who are the disgusting cruisers that leave the restroom without feeling the need to wash their hands, so sanitizing everyone's hands is an easy and non-harmful practice to implement. I'm sorry to those who feel as though agreeing to sanitize their hands upon entry into a restaurant venue threatens the joy of their vacation. I LOVE the gloves idea! I didn't think about that...But I do sanitize, put my food on my plate, sanitize my hands again, then eat. Hm...gloves.........may have to go buy some!

December 3, 2016 Harmony of the Seas (honeymoon!) February 25, 2017 Independence of the Seas

Matt, I agree. Royal Caribbean and rules? Doesn't really happen--ESPECIALLY in the dining room (though my partner was turned away at breakfast in the dining room for wearing a tank top on Majesty--WHAT?). HOWEVER, on my most recent Enchantment sailing, I saw a pool deck supervisor (the person in charge of all of the pool deck attendants) approach a boy that was (surprise!) not being supervised by a parent. She said "i spoke to you yesterday, and again today--you cannot continue to jump into the pool right in front of people." (This was in the main pool, but not the kids area). She was NOT having it. She wasn't rude or mean, but strict. I later went over and thanked her, telling her that I'd imagine it's difficult to do that job sometimes, but she should know that MANY cruisers REALLY appreciate it. She nearly cried. Then I nearly cried. Made her day.

They are? Any idea what the stipulations are? Like a 7-day or longer cruise? UPDATE: They have BOGOHO, but it's for 5 nights or longer. :-( I have a 4-night in August

BOGO drink packages?! That'd be SUPER nice.

I also wonder if this will change the level of service. For example, if this change causes significantly more people to purchase the package (who will NOT be tipping extra, since they were strongarmed, in a sense, into buying the package anyway), will the bartenders/pool servers be less-inclined to deliver WOW service? I always tipped extra for pool runners, but I will be hard-pressed to do so if I feel obligated to buy the package...

I'm big into Specialty Dining (as Matt knows), and will often go to a Specialty Restaurant every night of a cruise (if the ship has at least 3-4). For my August cruise, if Chops is as underutilized as some people say, then I expect them to be offering 20% off deals on-board, etc. So for the first time, I'll hold off on booking Specialty Restaurants in advanced (you used to HAVE to book in advance to get a seat at the time you wanted!), in the hopes that I'll get a good deal on board!

When I was on Radiance in Alaska 1-2 years ago, Rita's CANTINA (at the time) was CONSISTENTLY empty. Probably explains their refusal to go back.

I have a feeling this was a one-off. Especially since Radiance was just in dry dock like 3-4 years ago. May have just been a bad mattress that they got from the factory, and they just kept it as-is. I think you should be fine on Voyager.

Aug. 17 2015. Enchantment

Matt, To elaborate on pricing: I booked Chops, Giovanni's, Izumi, Samba, and 150 Central Park online, ahead of time. The deal was: book 3 or more restaurants, receive 20% back in OBC for the fees. Obviously this did not apply to Izumi, as there is no cover charge. Day 1 or 2, we received our 20% posted to our account. But even better? We received a 30% (yes, 30%) discount on Specialty Restaurants that we had not yet paid for (ie- Izumi), etc., because of the on board deal they were running: 2 or more restaurants, get 10% off 3 or more restaurants, get 20% off 4 or more restaurants, get 30% off. That was VERY nice. We didn't go to the MDR a single night, and canceled our tips for dining staff. The money we saved NEARLY paid for our specialty restaurants...kinda a no-brainer. Side note: Rita's did not give us 30% off. We asked, and it's only for restaurants you book ahead of time? A bit confused, but the pricing in Rita's is just STUPID-cheap anyway, so no sweat. Specialty Restaurants, like Brenda said, were not crowded. We were always booked for 6:30pm and some of them were straight up EMPTY. Internet packages were slowly discounted throughout the cruise, until like Day 6 where it was something ridiculous--like 15 minutes for $10 or something. I ordered 1 hour for and received a C&A discount. Unfortunately, I cannot tell you what the discount was, because RC accidentally placed an "old" C&A Discount Sheet in our stateroom upon arrival. So most times, we tried to use a discount, the employee would say "no, that's not the discount." A bit of a hassle, but it is what it is. I went everywhere trying to get an "updated" version to send back to you, to no avail.

I did Alaska out of Vancouver in August 2013. Flights around that time must be jam packed because when we missed our connecting flight, and Delta was having trouble rebooking us on WestJet, they resorted to Air Canada who was booked thru 2 days or so. (We were scheduled to fly in EARLY the day before embarkation). We flew direct to Vancouver. We selected it because we wanted Radiance instead of Rhapsody. Both are beautiful and newly refurbbed. I NEVER get a room besides interior, except in Alaska. An oceanview balcony is HIGHLY recommended (coming from the cheap-o over here). Snorkeling in Alaska (yes, you heard right) is an unreal experience. Also highly recommended.

That makes sense. But when I went walking around with bills AND quarters, there were VERY few machines that accepted them. Most machines had the slot blocked out, and only took those nifty cards! Felt so left out...Had to go SEARCHING for the few machines that took coins or bills.

My partner likes to collect foreign currency. He'd prefer to get "nice" looking bills/coins from banks of countries that he travels to. Does anyone else do this, and what has your experience been like on cruises? We'll be looking for: Nassau, Bahamas (Bahamanian Dollar) St. Maarten (Dutch Antillean Guilder) (He's not interested in the Euro). We've scouted out banks near port at each location, but are unsure JUST how difficult it'll be.

Isn't there a casino card you can get, too? I always see people with one that is tethered to their waist...

I believe RCLNewbie is gonna be on Allure on Aug. 31, then Oasis in November....

Hi Peter, It says drinks that are valued up to $12.00, which makes me think that a $12 drink is included in the package... So, if it says $12 on the menu, then you can get it. End of story. That being said, IF it is "technically" $12.65, all they do is charge the "overage" of $0.65. Sorry I couldn't be certain of the answer here!

Hi Peter! I was on Radiance just recently in Alaska. The plugs were American (see below), but I hear that they change the plugs to accommodate wherever the ship is home ported. | | o

I HAVE cruised in the summer before. It's hit or miss. I've been sailing when it was simply oppressive in the afternoon, and it does alter your daily plans a bit, but does not ruin your vacation by ANY stretch of the imagination. The humidity typically isn't bad because sailing in the open water, you get the ocean breeze. Only thing to be cognizant of is your excursions. Pack plenty of water and sunblock. ANd if you're a sweater, a change of shirt. You'll be all set!

In US$, see: http://media.royalcaribbean.com/content/shared_assets/pdf/menus/beverage_packages.pdf